Changes To Some of Govanhill's Most Loved Cafes
Govanhill has become well known for its cafe scene, but there a few changes afoot amongst some of the neighbourhood’s best loved coffee spots.
Milk Cafe | Photo by Eoin Carey
From September, Milk Cafe, a social enterprise on Victoria Road, dedicated to supporting refugee and migrant women, is changing from being a cafe into a social enterprise hub. Speaking about the changes, co-founder Gabby Cluness said:
“MILK is a social enterprise which we set up in 2015 to support and empower women from a refugee and migrant background. Cafe trading has largely facilitated this for the last seven years but it is now time for a change.
“We are keeping the space on Victoria Road, but it will no longer operate as a cafe. This means that after we close at the end of August we will be building a timetable of classes, workshops and pop ups as MILK becomes a full time community space. In order to do this we will need input, ideas and support from the wider Govanhill community, and we are really excited about all the new ideas and projects waiting for us round the corner.
The cafe's last day of trading as we know it is on the 28th of August so please come say hi before then, we are open 9-4 every day!”
A couple of months back, Bluebird Cafe, run by Mirella and Dino for more than 40 years closed, with an emotional send off from the local community who were fond of their warm service and nostalgic interior.
The cafe has now reopened as Kozi, serving up a tasty sounding menu of dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Watercolour of Canary Girl Cafe by Fiona Gibson
And just a couple of doors down on Cathcart Road, Canary Girl Coffee has sadly also shut up shop as owner Robbie embarks on a new adventure. The cafe was named after his grandmother who worked in a munitions factory during the war. A side effect of working alongside TNT is that workers skin turned yellow, hence the nickname, Canary Girl.